Church, LUTH raise awareness on voluntary blood donations

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital have called for more awareness about voluntary blood donations in the country.

This call was made on Saturday during a voluntary blood donation programme as part of the All African Service, an annual outreach of the church, in partnership with the LUTH in Lagos.

Speaking, the first counselor, Yaba Stake Presidency, Alfred Anyin, said more awareness needs to be raised for voluntary blood donations to eliminate the misconceptions surrounding them and save lives.

“For this year, it is particularly different from what we have been doing before. We are here to support other people that we might not know in the blood donation drive. It is also important for us to give back to our communities and help ourselves because it is healthy for people to donate blood.

“We are excited that we have such an opportunity to donate blood and partner with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in a voluntary blood donation drive. We have had different interventions in the past.

“We decided to donate blood and save lives this year. Voluntary blood donations are not prevalent here in Nigeria. It is something that many people don’t want to do. There are still so many misconceptions about it. We want to educate people about it and see how far we can go.”

A resident doctor in the Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion at LUTH, Ogunnaike-Quaye Temitope, who commended the church for the life-saving programme, called for more collaboration to aid voluntary blood donations.

He said, “For every donation that is made here today, it will save at least three lives. Partnering with them on this great drive is what motivates us. We look forward to doing more. The mental attitude of Nigerians toward blood voluntary donations But the demand for blood can’t be quantified.

“Many people die because of blood, which is preventable. No matter how little blood we get here today, it will save a lot of lives. Just one pint of blood can save three lives. We are sure that this will save so many lives, and we are eternally grateful to the church for this initiative. We hope this partnership on voluntary blood donations continues.”

The Director of Communication of the Church, Ikpe Nkanang, said the initiative was targeted at giving back to society, especially the less privileged.

He said, “What we are doing today is all-African service. It is an opportunity to give back to society, following the injunction of Jesus Christ. We have various events in various locations. In Lagos alone, we have blood donations in Yaba, health centers are being renovated, and there are our members working in Ikorodu. Others in Kirikiri prison are cleaning the place and making donations.

“What we are doing now is targeted at the masses. When we renovate a general hospital, we know it is the less privileged in society that use the place. The rich might properly go to a private clinic. The market is for everybody, including the rich and the poor.”